DMP served legal notice to halt collecting residents' info

A Supreme Court lawyer yesterday served a legal notice seeking a halt to collecting information about landlords and tenants by Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP).

Terming it "violation of rights to privacy," the lawyer, Jotirmoy Barua, said there is no legal basis of collecting such information about tenants through their landlords.

He said he will take legal steps if the initiative is not stopped within 24 hours.

Law secretary, home secretary, inspector general of police and DMP commissioner have been made respondents to the legal notice.

The DMP on February 29 announced that it had been collecting "identification information" on landlords and tenants since November last year and asked all to provide the information by March 15.

It is part of an effort to create a central database of city dwellers and their service staff and the move is intended to curb crimes and create a "sustainable security measure," said DMP Commissioner Asaduzzaman Miah at a press briefing at the DMP Media Centre.

Jotirmoy Barua in his legal notice said the DMP's order to supply personal information is a breach of his privacy as well as others. The information DMP sought for is very much personal and sensitive in nature and could be "harmful" if it is misused by any unscrupulous persons, he said.

The lawyer said there are examples of leaking personal information without any prior consent of the citizens and the information has been largely used by different foreign companies, including mobile phone operators and other commercial organisations. "Therefore, I have valid reason to suspect misuse of my information," he added.

"In the past the police department did not do any such thing to gain personal confidence that we are safe in their hands. On the contrary, there are numerous incidents of being tortured and harassed by police on a regular basis. I personally have no confidence on police and afraid of supplying my personal information to you without a valid order from a competent court of law," he added in the notice.